loyolaschoolsbulletin - Ateneo de Manila University

 Faculty and students reap
a blue harvest page 6
t
INSIDE
Teaching Philippine studies s
in China page 10
Meet the new Humanities dean
page 3 s
Memories of Liyab: Orsem 2008 page 4
The master plan for university athletics page 15
s
Scenes from Faculty Day
page 9
s Eagles draw first blood
in men’s basketball page 16
loyolaschoolsbulletin
VOLUME IV | NO 1 | JUNE–JULY 2008
we build community we nurture hope
Ateneo Environmental Management
Coalition launched
Lifestyle check: managing our environment,
managing ourselves ¶ by Erlinda Eileen G. Lolarga
H
ow do we lead simpler lifestyles that show more
care not only for others but also for the environment and
our dwindling natural resources? How can we as a University
contribute more concrete­ly to global efforts at resource preservation and waste management? Caring for the environment
as an institution is not always an easy or convenient thing to
do, as pointed out by the Vice President for Loyola Schools
Dr. Ma. Assunta C. Cuyegkeng during her Faculty Day address
on June 20, 2008. She identified the environment, together
with leadership and quality assurance, as the three
major thrusts of Loyola Schools for schoolyear
2008-2009.
Recognizing that the earth is an amazing Godgiven bounty and that human activities have depleted these resources, the Ateneo’s response to
environmental concerns has been institutionalized with the establishment of the Ateneo
Environmental Management Coalition (AEMC)
in summer 2008.
Team AEMC
Mrs. Lourdes Sumpaico has been appointed as
Special Projects Coordinator to oversee and guide
the University’s efforts for the environment in
partnership with several groups of professionals, faculty members, students and staff within
the campus. A key challenge to all, she says, “is
to minimize the resources we use and the waste
thrown away, such as paper, plastic, metal, glass,
and even energy. Reusable containers are most desired; recycling of containers will help because although reusing and recycling require energy, they
are comparatively less intrusive to the (earth’s)
natural cycles.”
According to Mrs. Sumpaico, as early as March
New LS website launched
The Loyola Schools has a new website. Launched
during Faculty Day on June 20, 2008, the site
(ls.ateneo.edu), whose development is ongoing,
features links to the sites each of the four Loyola
Schools.
2008, the AEMC’s work was given a jumpstart by the waste assessment and audit initiated by a group from the Environmental Science
Department composed of Abigail Favis (coach
and ES Department faculty member), Herwin
Jerome P. Unidad (V BS Physics with Material
Science Engineering), and David T. So (V BS
Physics with Material Science Engineering).
This same team, with the addition of Vivienne
Erica M. Zerrudo (IV, BS Environmental Science),
recently gained international recognition as a first
place national winner at the ASEAN DuPont
Green Vision Case (see separate story). The team
represented the Philippines at the ASEAN Green
Vision Sustainability Forum held at the Singapore
Management University on July 16, 2008.
AEMC divisions
Mrs. Sumpaico shares that the AEMC’s work is
quickly gaining momentum and needs the sup-
Environmental Science students conducting a waste audit
port, cooperation, and patience of everyone in the
University community. The AEMC has four main
divisions which will deal with the multi-pronged
task of managing our campus environment and
encouraging people to live environment-friendly
lifestyles:
The Advocacy Division is tasked with promoting an eco-friendly lifestyle, e.g. bringing
continued on page 2
Leadership development, quality assurance, and
environmental awareness are Faculty Day themes
By Erlinda Eileen G. Lolarga ¶ The
Loyola Schools held its annual Faculty
Day on June 20, 2008. The day began
with Holy Mass at the College Chapel
presided by Fr. Luis David, SJ of the
Philosophy Department. Cloudy skies and
humid weather prevailed over the campus as Loyola Schools faculty members,
administrators, and staff converged at the
Auditorium of the Ricardo and Dr. Rosita Leong
Hall for the morning’s main program.
Following talks by University President Fr.
Bienvenido F. Nebres, SJ and Vice President
for the Loyola Schools Dr. Ma. Assunta C.
Cuyegkeng, the body elected Dr. Agustin Martin
G. Rodriguez of the Philosophy Department to
replace the outgoing Dr. Benjamin O. Tolosa
of the Political Science Department as the new
School Forum Chair.
After lunch at the Leong Hall roofdeck, the
faculty members spent the afternoon in different
breakout rooms to do strategic planning and quality assurance mapping of competencies for their
respective departments. Dr. Regina Hechanova,
Faculty Coordinator for Leadership Development,
briefed the group on the afternoon’s activities.
Among the other activities that lent a festive
and convivial air to Faculty Day rites were the
launching of the new Loyola Schools websites and
photo shoots of faculty members gathered all together and by schools.
Firing up the Ateneo:
The President’s 2008 LS Faculty Day Address
Fr. Nebres’ talk entitled The Ateneo of the
Future” began with poignant recollections of
the Society of Jesus’ General Congregation 35
continued on page 9
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AEMC launched continued from page 1
your own food containers (“baunan”), drastically
reducing the use of plastic and paper packaging in
events, minimizing the use of tarpaulin banners
because of PVC health risks, using air-conditioners less, and conserving water and electricity. The
division is composed of the Sanggunian ng mga
Mag-aaral ng mga Paaralang Loyola ng Ateneo
de Manila, the Council of Organizations of the
Ateneo and the Office of Student Activities. This
group is expected to translate for the community
the findings of the coalition’s other divisions and
clarify what steps will have a real impact in protecting the environment. The spirit of Christian
stewardship and practicality is emphasized as the
motivations for living a life sensitive to the environment. The student groups are now crafting
guidelines that will foster environment friendly
organizations.
The Waste Audit Division is assigned to provide information on the waste generation of the
Loyola Schools as a base for policy formation
and in the development and implementation
of more ecologically-sound waste management
guidelines. Loyola Schools entities involved in
this division include the Environmental Science
team (Ms. Favis and students Jerome Unidad,
David Tan So, and Vivienne Zerrudo), with
saving light fixtures). Also being looked into is the effect of
vehicle emissions on the environment.
The
Logistics
and
Implementation Division, led
by the OAS, is looking into cafeteria waste (at AMPC, Blue and
Gold, Manang’s, JSEC) and the
minimization of plastic and paper packaging. It is also studying how existing buildings can
be made more environmentfriendly through measures such
as shifting to compact fluorescent lights (CFL), electronic
ballasts (if CFLs are not advisable), and reclaiming classroom
space that does not need airconditioning.
AEMC members visit a Quezon City barangay to learn more about
materials recovery and composting
Making it happen: A green Ateneo
The AEMC is looking forward to developing a
Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) that addresses
the need to re-cycle highly linear consumption by
redirecting recoverable wastes from the garbage
generated on campus. The MRF will augment the
Mrs. Sumpaico also cites the service learning
activities of Management students that have to do
with segregation. She sees them putting theories
to practice by adopting projects friendly to the
environment.
Another upcoming project is the creation of
landscaped pocket gardens (highlighted by an ap-
Recognizing that the earth is an amazing God-given bounty and that
human activities have depleted these resources, the Ateneo’s response
to environmental concerns has been institutionalized with the establishment of the AEMC. A key challenge to all, Sumpaico says, “is to minimize
the resources we use and the waste thrown away.”
the Environmental Science Society, School of
Science and Engineering (SOSE) faculty, and
the Office of Administrative Services (OAS).
The profile generated by the group will serve
as platform for the changes the Coalition may
propose to improve the Ateneo community’s
lifestyle.
The Research and Analysis Division, led by
the Sanggunian, has visited sites with systems for
segregation, composting, and material recovery,
while Dr. Tess Perez of the Environmental Science
Department and her students are looking at the
Loyola Schools ecological footprint (rate of electrical consumption, control of air-conditioner
use, conversion of fluorescent bulbs to energy-
present segregation-at-source system. Segregated
trash will further be sorted into finer categories
(glass, aluminum cans, various classes of plastics,
etc.). In doing this, the by-products of the community’s consumption are recovered and redirected back into the system as recyclables, for use as
resources. This will eventually help minimize the
amount of waste to be disposed of. In line with
this, the group has visited nearby communities
such as Barangay Bagumbahay and Barangay Holy
Spirit which have existing Materials Recovery and
Composting Facilities (MRCF) to gather more
information on the motivation, methodology of
segregation and recovery and returns of the running systems.
propriate icon) in three strategic areas that will
be conducive to prayer and quiet reflection. The
first such garden is set to be located at the back
of the Immaculate Conception Chapel. There is
also a plan to convert the walkway connecting the
EDSA walkway to Masterson Road beside the
Chapel into a path with blooming flowers dubbed
the “Marian Walk.” This will be offered to Sci 10
classes as part of their contribution to the greening of the campus.
The AEMC is a school-wide effort. It is hoped
that each individual member of the community will
begin to think green and live in harmony with the
environment. The success of the three R’s—reduce,
reuse, and recycle—lies with each of us! LSB
AEMC team wins first place in DuPont Green Vision Case Challenge
The recently formed Ateneo Environmental
Management Coalition (AEMC) won first place
in the DuPont Green Vision Case Challenge in
a competition held at the DuPont head office in
loyolaschoolsbulletin
Office of the Vice President for the Loyola Schools
Editor Joanna Ruiz Layout Exie Abola Writers Jonathan O.
Chua, Gary C. Devilles, Anjeline de Dios, Erlinda Eileen G. Lolarga,
Jason Inocencio, Rick Olivares, Camille T. Onglao, Anna Rojas,
Joanna Ruiz, Alma Sy, Cholo Torres, Rafael Saldaña, Scott Allison
G. Si Photos courtesy of Ateneo Environmental Management
Coalition, Ateneo de Manila University Press, Council of Activities,
CK Chua, Toby Dayrit, Jimmy Domingo, Nono Felipe, Rani Jalandoni,
Marx Lopez, Manila Observatory, Jolly Morata, Ambeth Ocampo,
Anna Rojas, Rafael Saldaña, School of Science and Engineering,
Alma Sy, Tanghalang Ateneo With the assistance of Paula
Angeles, Ateneo Sports Shooters, Ricky Abad, Clark Alejandrino,
Marivi Cabason, Connie Camacho, Karen Berthelsen Cardenas,
Leland de la Cruz, Jet Damazo, Anjeline de Dios, Anna Galvez,
Koi Mejia, Chita Rosales, James Simpas, Carla Siojo, Tanghalang
Ateneo, Milet Tendero, Racky Tizon, Cholo Torres, Art Valencia,
Nette Zabala, Ma. Carmi Zate Loyola Schools Bulletin © 2008 is published bimonthly by the
Office of Research and Publications, 2F Gonzaga Hall, Loyola
Schools, Ateneo de Manila University, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola
Heights, Quezon City Email <[email protected]> Mailing address P.O. Box 154,
Manila 0917, Philippines Telephone (632) 4266001 ext 5002 Fax
(632) 4266096 Web <http://ls.ateneo.edu> Contributions If you would like to contribute stories and
photographs to, write for, or have any story ideas for the Loyola
Schools Bulletin, please get in touch with Joanna Ruiz at <jruiz@
ateneo.edu> or (632)4266001 ext 5002.
Makati on July 2, 2008.
In addition to winning US$ 1,500 as seed
The AEMC team, composed of David T. So money for the project, Mr. So, Mr. Unidad and
(BS Ps ’08, V BS MSE), Herwin Jerome P. Unidad Ms. Zerrudo represented the Ateneo and the
(BS Ps ’08, V BS MSE), and Vivienne Erica M. Philippines at the Sustainability Forum held at
Zerrudo (IV BS ES) and coached by Abigail the Singapore Management University on July
Favis (Instructor, ES Department), won the con- 16, 2008.
test on the basis of their project entitled “WasteThe AEMC is a multi-sectoral effort of stuto-Resource Conversion at the Loyola Schools, dents, faculty, and administrators. The AEMC is
Ateneo de Manila University.”
being supported by the LS administration through
The Waste-to-Resource Conversion Project LS Special Projects Coordinator Mrs. Lourdes C.
aims to recyclize the linear consumption patterns Sumpaico. It undertakes environmental projects
of the Loyola Schools. Recognizing that waste using scientific tools and analysis.
can be a resource means minimizing our environmental impact as well as reaping economic
benefits.
The two-fold solution proposed in the project is the construction of a materials recovery
facility (MRF) and a composting facility (CF). The MRF will
be the repository of recyclables
such as plastics (PET bottles,
polystyrene food containers and
polyethylene bags) before these
are sold to recyclers. The CF
will take care of the biodegradable waste such as kitchen scraps
and yard waste, which comprise
more than 50% of the total
waste generated in the LS.
The winning AEMC team: Abigail Favis, David T. So,
Herwin Jerome P. Unidad, and Vivienne Erica M. Zerrudo
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The School of Humanities welcomes
a new dean
R ani J alandoni
By Gary C. Devilles
Dr. Ma. Luz C. Vilches now heads the School of
Humanities. After a well-deserved sabbatical leave
last year during which Dr. Benilda Santos served
as SOH Dean, Dr. Vilches, known to all as Marlu,
is ready to get to work, with plans of continuing
the Humanities tradition and of invigorating the
Ateneo community with awareness of our cultural
past, commitment to scholarship, and passion for
teaching.
The tasks may be formidable but for Marlu,
deanship is not merely about getting things done.
“Leadership is really about working and dealing
with people. It’s more about people management
than program management,” says Marlu, who
is accustomed to dealing with different kinds of
people, from fellow members in the diverse standing and adhoc committees of the school, colleagues from the British Council, CHED, and the
World Health Organization, to
fellow faculty members, being
the former chair of the English
Department and the Faculty
School Forum.
Although, she is not new
to the demands of leadership,
Marlu believes that nobody is
really prepared for deanship.
“One can rely on similar experiences in the past, but of course,
in the end one treats the work
of a dean as an opportunity to
grow and learn,” she reflects.
One of the first activities initiated by Marlu was to get SOH
faculty members together for
a seminar-workshop which allowed them to get to know each
other better and to set realitistic
expectations and goals for the
school over the next two years.
For her, it is important to have
a sense of collective in work and
activity. She believes that by tapping key people in the school and
inspiring them to work as a team, the school takes
on form and becomes visible and recognizable.
“It is important for every faculty member
and student to have a feel of what the School of
Humanities is,” she says. She is banking on everyone’s good intentions for the school, and believes
and that it is just a question of channeling efforts,
recognizing successes, and seeing mistakes as opportunities for improvement. Committees have
been drafted with the aim of improving conditions for the faculty, staff, and students.
One of the committee’s mandates is to gather
data so that any policies, principles, and strategies
formulated will have a solid basis. In response to
the problem of the SOH’s dwindling student population, for instance, Marlu has commissioned a
survey of SOH alumni. The data culled from the
survey will be presented to a faculty forum in or-
der to determine how the SOH’s courses and programs can be made more relevant, and therefore
more attractive, to students.
To provide a venue for consultation and ideasharing, she plans to hold regular faculty forums.
In addition, the dean is already working on an
apprenticeship program for SOH students. This
so-called “attachment program” is patterned after attachment programs in British schools and
will help students situate their humanities backgrounds in a real-world context.
Barely three months into her deanship, Marlu
is predictably kept busy with the school’s many
concerns. At the end of the day, however, she acknowledges that one can only do so much. To
put what would seem a daunting workload into
proper perspective, she keeps in mind that not
everything is in our hands, that one must learn
to trust that God sees and acts upon all things in
His own time. Whenever there is an opportunity
to pray at any time of the day, Marlu retreats into
The tasks may be formidable
but for Marlu, deanship is not
merely about getting things
done. “Leadership is really
about working and dealing
with people. It’s more about
people management than
program management.”
silence and centering. At times she is surprised
that things are revealed in a better light through
constant communion with God. Marlu, both in
her constant dialogue with colleagues and in her
introspection, senses that the year presents great
challenges and opportunities for all.
The S.C. Johnson-Ateneo Environmental
Leadership Forum held its inaugural lecture on
July 3, 2008 before a full house at the Auditorium
of the Ricardo and Dr. Rosita Leong Hall. This
first lecture, entitled: “Perfect Storms: What
should the Philippines do about climate change?”
featured three of the country’s climate change specialists, Fr. Jose Villarin, SJ, Dr. Antonio La Viña,
and Ms. Antonia Yulo–Loyzaga.
The Forum was attended by a number of key
leaders in government, academe, and civil society, including Secretary Angelo T. Reyes of the
Department of Energy, Undersecretary Demetrio
Ignacio of the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources, Mr. Edgar Chua, president of
Pilipinas Shell, Ms. Anabelle Plantilla, executive
director of Haribon Foundation, plus officials
from the diplomatic corps and local government
units. Students and faculty members from over 20
high schools also attended.
During their one-and-a-half lecture, the three
speakers described climate change as the “perfect
storm,” which is the result of the convergence of
humanity’s improvident past, its difficult present, and the uncertain future. The issues are not
merely scientific; climate change spans political,
social, and economic dimensions, crosses national
boundaries, and promises to impact future generations in a crisis of global proportions.
The lecture explored the spectrum of climate
change issues—from scientific to political dilemmas, from global to local impacts, and from international to Philippine responses—and advocated
an integrated adaptation-mitigation framework
that will address the impacts on the poor sectors
of society.
The Forum was established through an endowment from S.C. Johnson to commemorate its 50th
year in the Philippines. This annual Forum aims
to highlight new and innovative ideas in the areas of environment and sustainable development.
It is hoped that the Forum will contribute to the
evolution of new ideas and paradigms in environment and sustainable development.
Fr. Villarin holds BS Physics degree from the
Ateneo de Manila and a PhD in Atmospheric
Physics from Georgia Institute of Technology. He
was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, which was a co-awardee of the
2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He is currently President
of Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro.
Dr. La Viña finished AB Philosophy at the
Ateneo de Manila, Bachelor of Laws from UP
Diliman, and a PhD in Environmental Law
from Yale University. From 1996 to 1998, he
served as Undersecretary of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources and participated in the negotiations leading to the Kyoto
Protocol. He is currently the Dean of the Ateneo
School of Government.
Ms. Loyzaga holds a AB Political Science degree from the Ateneo de Manila and a Master in
Government from Georgetown University. She
is currently the Executive Director of the Manila
Observatory, and manages various projects related
to climate change and disaster management.
RANI JALANDONI
First S.C. Johnson-Ateneo Environmental Leadership Forum held
Fr. Jett Villarin SJ speaks at the S.C. Johnson-Ateneo Environmental
Leadership Forum.
The event was organized by the Environmental
Science Department and the School of Science
and Engineering’s Office of the Dean.
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T H E C O U N C I L O F O R G A N I Z AT I O N S O F T H E AT E N E O
Organized, aligned, effective
By Joanna Ruiz ¶ An interview with Council of
Organizations of the Ateneo (COA) President
Oscar “Koi” Mejia, III (V BSCHEM-MSE) is
a master class in organization and efficiency.
Prepared questions fly out the window as we are
guided through a presentation on COA’s thrusts
and plans for the schoolyear. Answers are provided
before the questions are even asked. Marvelling
at how “together” Koi is without sacrificing that
all-important human touch, we reflect that Koi’s
professionalism must be a reflection of the group
he heads.
Meet the COA
The COA is composed of 47 accredited Loyola
Schools student organizations and is divided into
nine clusters: Business, Faith Formation, Health
and Environment, Intercultural Relations, Issue
and Policy Analysis, Media and the Creative Arts,
COA Vision The Council envisions itself as a community of Ateneo
student organizatons united in developing Ateneans to become ac­tive,
competent, and holistically formed leaders who initiate positive changes
within the Ateneo community and in the greater society through the
Ignatian tradition of service and excellence. COA Mission As the
Council of Organizations of the Ateneo, we aim to develop quality
organizations thereby providing Ateneans venues for spiritual growth,
professional competence, social involvement, health, environmental
and political awareness, cultural rootedness, and artistic expression
by leading organizations to be united, effect­ive, empowered, and
systematic through proper guidance, dialogue, and support.
Performing Arts, Science and Technology, and
the Sector-Based Cluster. Between the council
and the different member organizations there is a
fine balance between independence and collaboration, with organizations going about their own
activities while staying atuned and aligned to
the COA’s objectives. Constantly keeping in
touch with each organization, COA also coordinates closely with the Office of Student
Activities (OSA).
ment. To this end, COA will work with the OSA
and each organization to carefully package the organizations and share best practices to attract and
retain members, and to encourage members to be
more active in their organizations.
The goal of collaboration and consolidation
is a natural one for COA. The group aims to establish internal and external ties, and strengthen
existing ones, to be able to develop its core competencies. Collaboration between organizations is encouraged so that each org benefits
from the strengths of other groups.
Outside interests
Prioritizing results
Following a process of reflection undertaken before the start of the schoolyear, the COA has identified three key result areas, namely: Identity articulation and actualization; membership engagement; and collaboration and consolidation.
The process of identity articulation and actualization encourages member organizations to
align themselves with the COA mission and vision, making needed adjustments to their own
missions and visions along the way. This process
of alignment will naturally go down to the level of the organizations’ projects. COA plans to
accomplish this valuable foundational process
through consultations with each organization
and with OSA.
The more straightforward goal of membership engagement has three sides to it: increased
membership involvement, increased membership
retention, and increased membership involve-
Besides goals which focus on the relationships
between COA and organizations, organizations
and their members, and organizations with other
organizations, reaching outside the Ateneo is also
a priority.
COA is involved with the Ahon Foundation, a
corporate social responsibility initiative of Philway
Marketing which gathers books for libraries in
public schools. A book drive is in the works, with
a certain “quota” of books to be collected by each
organization. Networking with other student organizations from other schools in Metro Manila
has also been initiated via the youth organization
networking website OrgForward.
It is no doubt that the COA has a big job
ahead of it this year, what with the goals it has
set for itself and its member orgs. But if Koi’s
enthusiasm and can-do attitude is any indication, then we needn’t worry that they’ll pull it
off in style.
Liyab : OrSem 2008 Live the passion. Share the dream.
We have 2,158 freshmen this schoolyear. Freshies were treated to a grueling but rewarding glimpse into Ateneo life during Liyab:
OrSem 2008 from June 5 to 7, 2008. Now that school is truly underway, that glimpse has turned into an everyday reality. Academics,
orgs, sports, friends, drama, doldrums, hitting the books, hanging out, giving back. Ang sarap maging Atenista!
photos by
Rani Jalandoni
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traditions
MASS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
CELEBRATED BY FR. JOSE CECILIO J. MAGADIA, SJ
PROVINCIAL OF THE PHILIPPINE PROVINCE
OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS | JUNE 12, 2008
PHOTOS BY RANI JALANDONI
Tanghalang Ateneo celebrates 30th repertory season
Tanghalang Ateneo marks its 30th season by staging classical works infused with a contemporary,
pan-Asian sensibility—the kind of production
that has distinguished the company over the years.
With “Echoes” as a season theme, the productions
listen to the voices of earlier masters and allow
them to resonate to young audiences today.
Echoes of old Manila, filtered though Nick
Joaquin’s May Day Eve, kicked off the season this
summer. Aimed at a young audience, the play was
less about the tragedy of time than a cautionary
tale of youthful recklessness. Student and professional stage actors gave performances in English
and Filipino, using the one-act play adaptation by
Alberto S. Florentino, and translated into Filipino
by Jerry Respeto as Salamin . . . Salamin . . . (Isang
Gabi ng Mayo).
In July, two classic plays by absurdist playwright Eugene Ionesco—The Bald Soprano and
The Lesson—were meshed into a series of comic
vignettes echoing the theme of distorted commu- Tanghalang Ateneo 30th Season Company with moderator Dr. Ricardo Abad (seated, center)
nication. Taking its cue from the language games that pepper the plays, this produc- theater of cruelty come to symbolize the wrath of a community against a proud leader
tion, simply titled “?”, questioned the reliance on rationality and power to establish who transgresses the ethics of political life and causes a virulent plague. Oedipus may
meaningful social relations.
be an accidental victim of fate, but his choice to suffer for past sins stands out as a
In August and September, Tanghalang Ateneo revisits William Shakespeare, a noble gesture to restore the integrity of the state. This is to be staged in Filipino uscompany favorite, in a gut-wrenching version of Othello. Student talents work with ing a translation by Rolando S. Tinio.
In each play, the consequences of indifference, hate and violence herald a new beprofessional stage actors to dramatize the havoc wreaked by insularity and prejudice. By dwelling on Iago’s aversion towards the foreigner Othello and on the con- ginning. As in the Ionesco twin bill, the new is not always idiotic—it can be a repsequences of that antipathy, the play echoes the waves of ethnic and racial intoler- lication of old ways as in May Day Eve, a painful reconstruction as in Othello, or a
ance that still plague many parts of the world today. The play is to be staged in a slow process of moral recovery as in Oedipus Rocks. But in each drama, the ability of
minimalist style and in bilingual format with Othello speaking in a tongue different the theater to have us witness the struggles of others, and to learn from these private
battles so that we may come out wiser and stronger, remains wholly intact.
from his hosts.
Tanghalang Ateneo invites the public to listen to these echoes of the past and to
A relatively long hiatus prepares Tanghalang Ateneo for its February finale: a deconstruction of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex now titled Oedipus Rocks. The anger of rock shape them in their own personal ways. For performance and booking details, conmusic, especially written for the production, coupled with images drawn from the tact Ia Solis at 0916-5415165.
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notable achievements
The Rizal Library, already named Outstanding
Library of the Year by the Philippine Association
of Academic and Research Librarians, has had
added another layer added to its already towering
pile of honors.
Lourdes T. David, director of the library, was
named one of the forty outstanding professionals of the year by the Professional Regulation
Commission (PRC). She received a glass trophy at
the awarding ceremony held at the Manila Hotel
last 20 June 2008.
Mrs. David was recognized “for her sterling
accomplishments as an internationally renowned
professional, demonstrating exemplary dedication, competence and integrity . . .; for her invaluable contributions in preparing the [UNESCO]
training modules on library management, information and communication technology, marketing information services, digital libraries and intellectual property rights; for her active involvement in various local and international professional activities which have put Filipino librarians
at the forefront of international librarianship; for
her able leadership of the Philippine Librarians
Association, Inc; and for selflessly sharing her
knowledge and expertise. . . .”
The recognition is timely. Since her appointment as director of the Rizal Library in 2001, Mrs.
David has been taking steps to ensure that the library keeps its prime position. Her main thrust remains “improving access to information.” Already
the library has digitized its holdings of major
Philippine newspapers, making them conveniently searchable, and its microfilming program is recognized in Australia. “Our procedures,” she notes,
“adhere to international standards.”
Alongside efforts at improving library facilities
and services is her aggressive staff development
program. She regularly scouts for opportunities
for librarians and library staff to further or update
their training. One librarian has recently returned
F abian D a y rit
Rizal Library’s David named Outstanding Professional of the Year
Mrs. Lourdes David with fellow Outstanding Professionals
from a materials preservation course in New
Zealand; another, from a language and librarianship training in Japan (“The Japanese books can
finally be cataloged”). She has also encouraged librarians to attend or present papers at international conferences. Three, in fact, are at a conference of the American Library Association.
What may one yet expect from the Rizal Library
under her leadership? “A more organized outreach
program in partnership with Pathways and Ahon
Foundation and Gawad Kalinga.” Mrs. David envisions building “an info center in a Gawad Kalinga
area in Nueva Ecija.”
The award is most apropos, then, for an outstanding professional leading an outstanding institution. Jonathan O. Chua
Remoto makes a windfall from an old story
For a three-page
story he wrote fifteen years ago,
Danton
Remoto,
Associate Professor
at the Department
of English, recently
received P20,000.
“Wings of Desire”
placed third at
Danton Remoto
the Nick Joaquin
Literary Contest of the Philippine Graphic. The
awarding ceremonies were held at the Ricco
Renzo Gallery last 18 June 2008.
“That’s over P6,000 a page,” says Remoto.
“That’s not a bad way to make good money.”
A self-confessed Legal Management drop-out
who eventually shifted to Interdisciplinary Studies,
Remoto has not forgotten his math; and apparently he also knows how to make a good investment.
“I’m earning from things I wrote in the past.”
Remoto wrote the story while at Hawthornden
Castle in Scotland in the early 1990s.
When he offered his stories to local publishers then, he recounts, some of them got rejected.
“Then they were considered pornographic,” he
recalls. “Now they are called ‘prize-winning’.”
There is nothing at all remotely pornographic, however, about “Wings of Desire,” a poignant
story about a boy’s discovery of death. The ending, a dream sequence, is inspired, he says, by
Wim Wender’s film of the same title. Something
of Joyce’s “The Sisters” hovers over the story. It
ends very quietly: “Sometimes, when we call out
a name, even the very wind crumbles.”
Mr. Remoto has published a number of collections of poetry, but his recent prizes have been
for his prose. In 2005 his story “The Heart of
Summer” (“one of those that got censored!”)
won third prize at the annual literary contest of
the Philippines Free Press. Two years earlier, his
essay “The House of Spirits” had won second.
Why the shift? “Prose pays,” he says, “poetry . . .
perishes.”
When he is not being facetious, he tells me that
he has a new collection of poems awaiting publication. “Runes of Memory,” he calls it. He is
also preparing a collection of fiction (to be called
“Wings of Desire and Other Stories”?) and a
novel in progress tentatively entitled “A Lighted
Matchstick.” An excerpt from that novel (“a political satire,” he describes it) is in Thought the
Harder, Heart the Keener, a festschrift for Soledad
S. Reyes, launched earlier this year. (There the
novel is called “Pearl of the Orient.”)
In hindsight, Remoto comes full circle with
this award. In the early 1990s, a story of his was
published in the magazine. Nick Joaquin was then
the literary editor. (When “Wings of Desire” was
published, the late Adrian Cristobal, who also solicited the story from him, was the literary editor.) Joaquin sent him a note: “This is an excellent
short story. You will fly, boy.” A decade and a half
later, Remoto wins an award named after the late
great National Artist. There is something in that
of the closure that the best short stories have and
which English teachers love to point out.
“I should frame that note,” he says, more to himself than to me. And on that note sounds the school
bell, which sends Remoto off to another class.
When Remoto offered his
stories to local publishers then,
he recounts, some of them got
rejected. “Then they were
considered pornographic,” he
recalls. “Now they are called
‘prize-winning’.”
“Wings of Desire” was published in the
Philippine Graphic, 26 November 2007, 40-42.
Jonathan O. Chua
A Fulbright Award for
DISCS’ Rodrigo
Ma. Mercedes T. Rodrigo, Associate Professor
with the Department of Information Systems and
Computer Science (DISCS), has received a grant
under the Fullbright Scholar Program 2008-2009
Advanced Research and University Lecturing
Awards. The grant will allow Dr. Rodrigo to undertake a five-month research visit to Carnegie
Mellon University where she has established a
research collaboration with Dr. Ryan Baker. Dr.
Rodrigo will pursue research in the area of affective computing, which seeks to understand the
computer learning environment which includes
human-computer interaction, learning theory,
and computer-aided instruction.
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notable achievements
Creating a bridge of understanding
Ambeth Ocampo, assistant professor at the
Department of History, has something in common with Ella Fitzgerald, Kylie Minogue, and
Diana Ross: the Ordre des artes et des lettres. Mr.
Ocampo was given the rank officier last 26 July
2008 in a ceremony held at the Alliance Française
in Makati. He received a medal—“an eight-point,
green-enameled asterisk, in gilt” with the “letters A
and L on a white enameled background, surrounded by a golden ring emblazoned with the phrase
République Française” on the obverse side—from
the French Ambassador to the Philippines.
The Ordre des Artes et des Lettres is given by the
French Minister of Culture and Communication
to “persons who have distinguished themselves in
the arts and literature or the propagation of these
fields in France and worldwide.”
What has Mr. Ocampo done in this regard? He is
cited by the French Minister of Culture and Culture
for his work as writer, teacher, and cultural administrator. “I have been researching on our heroes in
Paris—Jose Rizal, Juan Luna, Felix Resurreccion
Hidalgo—thus using the past to create a bridge of
understanding between our countries [France and
the Philippines]”—a fact which he emphasizes in
his acceptance speech. “They were in Paris in1899,
the centenary of the French Revolution, and no
doubt the ideas of freedom, the ideals of liberty,
equality and fraternity rubbed off on them and influenced people who never left home. . . . My work
. . . illustrates how the past can find a connection
with the present, or how our heroes in the past by
visiting France established bridges of friendship that
pre-dates the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the Philippines and France. . . .”
The 60th anniversary of the establishment of
such relations was the occasion for a symposium
held at the Ateneo de Manila last year, which, as
chairman of the National Commission for Culture
and the Arts, Mr. Ocampo supported. He was one
of the speakers, and he is now editing the collection of papers presented at the symposium.
Mr. Ocampo is no stranger to awards. How
does he regard this latest one? “I am honored of
course, and while I do not show it, I do take a conceited delight in these honors. It is always good to
Ateneans make finals of Manila
Jaycees’ Best Business Plan tilt
TOPMOST French Ambassador Gerard Chesnel, Mrs. Chesnel,
Ambeth Ocampo, Alliance Francaise director Olivier Dintinger
ABOVE With Loyola Schools colleagues Eduardo Calasanz,
Ma. Assunta Cuyegkeng, and Leovino Ma. Garcia
be recognized for your work.”
Other members of the university who have been inducted into
the Order are Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, Antonette Palma-Angeles,
and Leovino Ma. Garcia (each as chevalier) and Evelyn C. Soriano
(as commandeur). Jonathan O. Chua
Three of the top five teams at the annual Best
Business Plan competition organized by the
Junior Chamber International (JCI) Manila are
from the Ateneo. They are:
Ecobuilders, Inc. is engaged in the production of tiles made from coconut husks (3rd place).
The team is composed of Mariel Luz T. de Castro,
Andrea Loraine A. Go, Jurmane A. Lallana,
Dorthee Elline T. Li, and Daphne F. Melegrito.
Ecovation, Inc. innovatively combines asphalt, aggregates and non-biodegradable junk
plastic for use as construction materials for roads,
highway,s and bridges (4th place). The team is
composed of Reb Kerwin Atadero, Alyssa Renee
Cruz, Margarita de Leon, Jacqueline Gorospe,
Hyra Liwanag, and Charmaine Santos.
Dee Medical Corp. produces two-in-one lowcost organic gel-based post-operational wound
remedy (5th place). The team is composed of
Jan Jizelle Ang, Gregorio Camacho, Brian Marco
Chayungco, Celine Melanie Dee, Jose Ramon
Gelvezon, and Ana Margarita Oliveros.
Together with teams from the University of
the Philippines and Jose C. Feliciano College in
Pampanga, they will represent the Philippines at
the Best Business Plan Competition World Finals
organized by the Junior Chamber International
or Jaycees. The world finals will be held at New
Delhi, India this November 2008.
The national finals, meanwhile, were held on
June 18, 2008 at the boardroom of the Philippine
Stock Exchange (PSE). The judges for the national finals were Philippine Star columnist Wilson
Lee Flores, GMA 7 top executive Rod Cornejo,
Philippine Chamber of Commerce Vice President
and Anvil Business Club Honorary Chairman
George Siy, Philippine Stock Exchange Governor
and Anvil Regent David Chua, and PSE marketing education division head Leo Quinito.
www.ateneo.edu
Nebres and Lee-Chua among 50 Men and Women of Science
Chemistry. This led to the development of a critical mass of scientists in these areas.
Fr. Nebres chaired the Engineering and Science
Education Project of the DOST and directed a
team for the Department of Education on the development of education plans to strengthen elementary and secondary education in the country’s
poorest provinces.”
Queena N. Lee-Chua (Outstanding Science
Communicator): “In this millennium, science
literacy is paramount to remain competitive in the
global arena. All channels of creative and interesting science communication need to be harnessed
for Filipinos to achieve technological understanding and appreciation.”
Lee-Chua, in her own words, best describes
her passion to share and spread the value of understanding science both inside and outside the
lecture hall. Numerous books, articles, lectures,
columns, and other communication tools in her
name mirror a vastly creative and disciplined persona. She has written science and math books,
a newspaper column, and teachers both subjects
to students, parents, media, and practically everybody else. But she remains consistent in her goal
to make science and math learning “fun” through
“simpler, more understandable language.” She
brings the “fun” to print, radio, TV, online, and
interpersonal audiences.
Among her numerous awards are The
Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (2001),
Outstanding Young Scientist (National Academy
of Science and Technology, 2002), First Multiple
Intelligence Award (Dr. Howard Gardner, Multiple
Intelligence International School Foundation, Inc.,
2005), Outstanding Teacher Award (Metrobank
Foundation, 2003), National Book Award for
Science (2003), Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards fo
Literature (1st place, English Essay, 2001),Science
and Technology Journalism Awards (Philippine
Press Institute-Philippine Geothermal Inc, 1992),
and Best Science and Technology Columnist
(DOST, special citation, 2005).
The 50 Men and Women of Science exhibit,
showing photographs of all the awardees, may be
viewed at the UP Theatre in Diliman through
September 2008.
BELOW LEFT
Bienvenido F.
Nebres, SJ
BELOW
Queena N.
Lee-Chua
Q ueena L ee - C hua
Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, SJ, University President,
and Dr. Queena N. Lee-Chua, Full Professor at
the Mathematics Department, were recognized
as two of the 50 Men and Women of Science
by the Department of Science and Technology
(DOST). The recognition was made in honor of
the DOST’s 50th anniversary in June 2008.
According to DOST Secretary Estrella F. Balbastro,
“our activities and festivities pay homage to the nation’s outstanding achievements and breakthroughs
in science and technology over the last 50 years. We
believe that the work of scientists, researchers and
other stakeholders must be recognized and given the
opportunity to flourish, as it is the precursor to new
knowledge as well as improved products, and processes vital for national development.”
Excerpts from Fr. Nebres’ and Dr. Lee-Chua’s
citations from the DOST:
Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, SJ (Education
Icon): “Fr. Nebres has successfully reconciled the
fields of science and religion with his work, especially in the development of mathematics and science in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia.
After finishing his MS and PhD in Mathematics
at Stanford University in California, he founded
the Mathematical Society of the Philippines. He is
also one of the founding officers of the Southeast
Asian Mathematics Society. He pioneered a consortium of leading universities in Manila to develop PhD programs in Mathematics, Physics, and
R ani J alandoni
A mbeth O campo
Ambeth Ocampo receives the Ordre des artes et des lettres from the Republic of France
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Rosales and Soriano receive homenajes from Instituto Cervantes
Ms. Concepcion L. Rosales, chair of the
Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, and
Mrs. Evelyn C. Soriano, coordinator for international programs of the School of Humanities
and School of Social Sciences, were among the
teachers honored at the “Homenaje al Maestro,” a
tribute to teachers, by the Instituto Cervantes de
Manila and the Academia Filipina de la Lengua
Española last 19 June 2008.
The certificate presented them commends
them for “the invaluable work [each has] rendered in her productive career as teacher and
Hispanist committed to the spread of the
Spanish language and culture” (la inestimable
labor prestada en su fructifera carrera de docente e
hispanista comprometido en la diffusion de la lengua y cultura españa).
Ms. Rosales credits her mother, Patrocino, as
her first Spanish teacher. Her father, Jose, sent her
to Letran every summer to study Spanish. This
was to offset what he thought was the barbarizing influence of English, Maryknoll, which she
was attending, being a school run by American
nuns. She later went to the Universidad Central
de Madrid for an M. A. in Literature.
It was also owing to her mother that Mrs.
Soriano became a hispanista. Principal of a high
school in Naga, her mother wanted her to be a
teacher. Initially uninterested in Spanish (St.
Theresa’s, run by Belgian nuns, had not set her
heart for things Spanish), she grew to love Spain
when her parents sent her there to take a general course in Spanish culture (Estudios Hispanicos)
at the Universidad Central de Madrid (“Art appreciation was my favorite subject”). Eventually,
she finished an M. A. in Spanish at the Instituto
Ibero-Americano de Madrid.
Although some observers have longed declared Spanish in the Philippine educational
curriculum moribund, Mrs. Soriano is optimistic about its prospects. “There is a demand
for Spanish because of globalization,” she says,
“but that is Spanish in the practical sphere.” The
days of Spanish for cultural appreciation are all
but gone, she observes, but “although I love culture, I’m very practical.” The key word for her
is aprovechar (which hardly carries the negative
connotation of its English equivalent): “Let’s see
what they [the students] want.”
Ms. Rosales and Mrs. Soriano have between
them over eighty years of teaching Spanish at
the Ateneo de Manila. They have taught literally thousands of Ateneo alumni, including, Ms.
Rosales recounts, “bishops, governors, mayors,
diplomats, even ‘occasional rogues’.” Many of
them say that learning Spanish added value to
their personal and professional lives, a fact which
for Ms. Rosales is a “measure of satisfaction.”
Both teachers were also among the pioneers of
the communicative approach, a more situational
way of language teaching, one less dependent on rote
memorization and found to be more effective than
traditional methods. As founder of the Circulo de
Professores de Español (CIPRES), Mrs. Soriano also
helped to train Spanish teachers in the method.
The king of Spain was said to talk to God in
TOPMOST Chita Rosales with Instituto Cervantes
director Jose Rodriguez ABOVE Evelyn Soriano
receives her homenaje from Instituto Cervantes
director Jose Rodriguez
Spanish (for English, he supposedly declared, was
for dogs, and German for horses). One can only
imagine what divine intercourse Ms. Rosales and
Mrs. Soriano must have had with God in the last
forty years. Jonathan O. Chua
Ateneo social enterprise wows international community
Competing with other graduate-student entrepreneur teams from Yale, Stanford, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Duke and
Carnegie Mellon, Ateneo de Manila University
held its own by winning the Social Enterprise
Award at the 6th Annual University of San Francisco
(USF) International Business Plan Competition
held on April 24–26, 2008 at the Hotel Kabuki
in San Francisco, California.
The Ateneo-affiliated team, Rags2riches,
tied with Immersive Technologies, a team affiliated with the universities of Purdue, Indiana,
and Fort Wayne. Carnegie Mellon won over-all.
Rags2riches is composed of students, alumni and
professors of Ateneo, as well as some alumni of De
La Salle University Rags2riches was one of 22 finalists, and the
only Filipino team, selected for the competition
which recognized “new business ventures that are
commercializing sophisticated life science, information, and clean technologies, as well as several
social enterprises.” Its entry, 4P (People, Planet,
Profit and Positive influence), provides sustainable livelihood to women of Barangay Payatas in
Quezon City to help their families find a way out
of poverty.
“We humbly share this honor with the entire
Ateneo community as Ateneo and the country
was officially recognized throughout the event.
Although we had a great chance with the elevator
pitch and the trade show (two other categories
in the three-day competition), we were exempted
as we were put into the social enterprise track.
But I respect the contest director’s plans,” said
Rags2Riches’ Bro. Javier Alpasa, SJ, who spent
time talking to potential partners for their project. More than 60 Silicon Valley venture capitalists, executives and attorneys served as judges for
the contest.
According to the Rags2riches Website (slb.ph/
r2r), this enterprise combines the rug-making skills
of the Payatas women and the lauded designing
skills of fashion maverick Rajo Laurel. Through
craftsmanship and imagination, the humble rug is
elevated to well-designed, durable, and functional
objects such as tote bags, yoga mat holders, laptop
sleeves, wine holders, and pouches.
In August 2007, a team from the Ateneo High
School won the Arthur Boschee and Evelyn
Ball International Award for Social Enterprise
at the Students for the Advancement of Global
Entrepreneurship (SAGE) World Cup in
Ukraine. The team’s winning enterprise, called
Truly Authentic Re-used Posters, or “TARP
Inc”, recycles tarpaulin posters into trendy bags.
Two Loyola Schools faculty
receive NAST awards
Dr. Edsel Beja Jr. of the Department of Economics,
School of Social Sciences, is this year’s recipient of
the National Academy of Science and Technology
(NAST) Most Outstanding Young Scientist in
Economics awarded by the Department of Science
and Technology (DOST).
Dr. Beja holds a PhD in Economics from the
University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is also
the deputy director of the Ateneo Center for
Economic Research and Development.
Meanwhile, Dr. Raphael A. Guerrero, assistant
professor in the Department of Physics, School of
Science and Engineering, won NAST’s 2008 Talent
Search for Young Scientists in the field of Physics.
www.ateneo.edu
Ateneo Team 3*Pi/4 wins Philippine finals of Microsoft Imagine Cup 2008
The Ateneo has won the Philippine Finals of the
Microsoft Imagine Cup 2008 Software Design
Competition once again. Team 3*Pi/4, composed of Wilhansen Joseph Li (3-BSCS), Salvador
Reyes, Jr. (4‑BSCS) and Rodrick Tan (4-BSME),
won in this year’s competition which was held at
the Microsoft Makati office on April 14 and 15.
A second Ateneo team, Team Tibecom, composed of Marion Joren Olmillo (2-BSMIS),
Kristine Ester Pascual (2-BSCS) and Victor
Patrick Tañedo (2-BSCS), was first runner-up.
Each year, the Microsoft Imagine Cup selects a
theme that challenges students to create technology solutions for better world. This year’s theme
was environmental sustainability. The annual stu-
dent contest is divided into several subcategories,
including embedded design, game design, algorithm design, and many others.
3*Pi/4 submitted an application called Ad Hoc
that helps consumers make eco-smart purchases.
The application enables consumers to compare
and contrast similar products, e.g. light bulbs, to
verify which of these products is the friendliest to
the environment. Team 3*Pi/4 was ably coached by
Dr. Ma. Mercedes T. Rodrigo, Associate Professor
of the Department of Information Systems and
Computer Science.
Having won the local leg of the Imagine Cup,
the team competed in the World Finals which was
held in Paris from July 3 to 8.
Raphael A. Guerrero
His paper on volume holographic storage,
which introduces bigger data storage for computers and a new way of producing images, was selected over the work of two other scientists from
UST and UPLB. The presentations were done before a panel of judges in April.
Dr. Guerrero also won the Outstanding
Scholarly Work Awards for Science and
Engineering in 2006. He is an active researcher
in the area of photonics. www.ateneo.edu
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scenes from
Faculty Day
photos by Jimmy Domingo
Faculty Day themes continued from page 1
(GC 35) held in Rome earlier this year to elect a new Superior General. It was inspired
by what he saw as the diversity of issues and concerns faced by Jesuits today and their
“struggle to listen, to learn, and to understand.” Both in the case of the Jesuits and
the Ateneo, Fr. Nebres reflected that the challenge for all is to find a “point of unity,”
a focus and inspiration that a GC 35 decree calls “a fire that kindles other fires.”
He reprised the theme of four cultures in the University adopted from the
framework of Jesuit historian Fr. John O’Malley’s “Four Cultures of the West,”
which he originally shared in his 2006 Faculty Day address. He said Universities
face similar concerns: a need for radical change in the structures of Society (Culture
1); the academic and professional culture that seeks to understand those structures
(Culture 2); the humanistic culture that addresses fundamental human issues, prepares leaders and works for the common good of society (Culture 3); and the
Culture of Art and Performance that celebrates the mystery of the human condition (Culture 4).
He elaborated on which culture structures the Ateneo’s value system and what culture shapes it in the light of the University’s sharpest focus which he said is “preparing
leaders for the future.” He believes that there must be a shift from forming“men and
women for others” to forming “professionals for others.” In the quest for the Ateneo’s
focus and fire he raised the following questions: What fires us? Does it contribute
to nation-building? Does it meet standards of excellence? He called on the faculty
to help the University move as one despite the community’s diversity as it is faculty
members who help shape the leaders of the future.
Following his talk on university cultures, Fr. Nebres shared with the group a presentation made to Ateneo alumni in Hongkong on June 18, 2008. The presentation
focused on building the Ateneo of the future which is energized by unity.
Vice President for Loyola Schools talks on LS thrusts for SY 2008-2009
Following the address of Fr. Nebres, the presentation of Dr. Ma. Assunta C. Cuyegkeng,
Vice President for Loyola Schools, summarized the program re-alignments and achievements of both Loyola Schools’ academic and non-academic programs for schoolyear
2007-2008 which are anchored on the principles of the University’s motto: to be Lux in
Domino for others, country and God. She also elaborated on the updated Loyola Schools
vision which now reads “The Ateneo Loyola Schools is a Filipino, Catholic, and Jesuit
center of excellence of higher learning that is globally competitive while Asian in
perspective, a community that transforms society through its research and creative
work, its leadership in service to others and the environment, and its formation of
persons-for-others.”
A central theme of her message was leadership formation for nation bulding.
The leaders we want to form, she said, have “an agenda of hope for the country in
whatever sphere they move in—environment, family/youth, government, professions, faith, Filipino identity and culture.” This is what makes Ateneo de Manila
what it is—a culture and community that affirms excellence and service, love for
Christ, and companionship—a place where we nurture future leaders of the nation
carrying all the qualities that we envisioned and trained them to be. Thus, she
identified the main thrusts of schoolyear 2008-2009 as: 1) Leadership—to achieve
the core mission of forming persons for others; 2) Quality Assurance—to keep us
on the right track; and 3) Environmental Management—to right our relationship
with Creation.
For leadership, she zeroed in on the four elements of heroic leadership: 1) selfawareness (leading to an understanding of one’s strengths, weaknesses, values and
worldview); 2) ingenuity (taking one’s gifts and using them to confidently innovate
and adapt to embrace a changing world); 3) love (engaging others with a positive,
loving attitude); and 4) heroism (using heroic ambitions, in a sense the magis, to
energize the self and others to dream, to love, to serve beyond limits. Beyond heroism, she also emphasized the need to consciously bring into leadership the element
of spirituality.
On Quality Assurance (QA), she acknowledged that the University’s understanding of quality has evolved through the years and gave a detailed account of QA procedures and definitions from experts in the field. She explained that performing QA
is a way of assuring us that our students are actually learning, telling us where we are,
helping us reach our goals, and maximizing our limited resources. It encourages us
to document our decades-old practices so that the next generations will know what
we are all about. It is a way of making sure that we are in touch with the changing world and that we can truly have an impact on the people and communities we
touch. Among the steps she outlined are: systematization of existing processes and
structures; characterizing the ideal Ateneo graduate; and monitoring and improving curricula.
With regard to environmental management, Dr. Cuyegkeng challenged the
community to develop among Ateneans a constant concern for the environment.
Concretizing this thrust are various programs implemented by both students, faculty,
and staff which have recently been institutionalized by the formation of the Ateneo
Environmental Management Coalition (AEMC) with Mrs. Lourdes C. Sumpaico
appointed as part-time Coordinator. AEMC’s four main divisions are: Research and
Analysis, Waste Audit, Advocacy, and Logistics and Implementation. LSB
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Close encounters with life, education, and culture in The following narrative was shared by Marco Antonio “Marx” V. Lopez,
Assistant Professor at the Filipino Department, School of Humanities.
Marx was sent on his second tour as an exchange professor to China’s
premier university, Peking University in Beijing. He left for China in
January 2008 with his term in Peking University covering the period
February to December 2008. With support coming from the Office of
the Vice-President of the Loyola Schools (Peking University takes cares
of his board and lodging on campus), his teaching stint for the year is
based at Philippine Studies Program of the Department of Oriental
Languages of Peking University. Here is his narrative of life in Beijing
as an exchange professor.
The Philippine Studies Program
at Peking University
I handle the Filipino Intermediate Language and
Philippine Literature classes, meeting them every day. I have ten students (but at present just
9 because one of them is an exchange student
in Ateneo for a year). In the Philippine Studies
Program, students study almost all aspects of
Philippine culture—language, literature, history,
economy, popular culture, among others. Most
of the teachers now are graduates of the program
itself. The program invites a native speaker from
the Philippines to handle the language and lit-
billion Chinese, 10 to 15 students every four years
major in Philippine Studies. Personally, I believe
it is worth supporting. Many of the graduates of
the program work in institutions that deal with
the Philippines. Two of my former students in
1999 are now professors of the program and two
are working in the Philippine section of the China
Radio International. One of the two teachers—
this is Shi Yang or “Ato”, his Filipino name—is
studying the oral literature of the Mangyans in
Mindoro, for which study he was given a grant to
finish his doctoral studies at Harvard next year.
Wu Jie Wei, or “Jack” as his Filipino friends call
him, one of the early graduates of the program,
is now the Vice Dean of the Oriental Languages
Department (Note: Jack belonged to the first
batch of students taught by the Ateneo professors when they first came in the mid-1990s).
B Y M A R C O A N T O N I O V. L O P E Z
around the campus selling cheap products and pirated DVDs. These stores are now gone. Near the
campus is an empire of above- and underground
malls that can rival our malls in the Philippines.
With Peking University hosting the table tennis
events of the Olympics, the campus—as well as the
city itself of course—is spruced up. There is still
only one English channel—CCTV 9—run by the
government, but I often hear critical comments of
the government, which seemed unheard of before
in 1999. I really believe the Olympics this year is
their debut to the global world. I think we will see
and hear a lot more of China from here on.
Social life and leisure in Beijing
China then and now: changes observed
1999 and 2008
There appear to be have been many changes here
since my first visit to Beijing in 1999. China
now definitely seems more open to the world and
I always think that a stint in China is comparable to a retreat. Life in the Philippines can be
noisy—literally and figuratively—at times. My
life on campus here can be the other extreme: after my classes in the morning, I go back to my
Of the 1.4 billion Chinese, 10 to 15 students every four years major in Philippine
Studies. Many of the graduates of the program work in institutions that deal with
the Philippines. Two of my former students are now professors of the program, one
of whom is studying the oral literature of the Mangyans in Mindoro.
The author,
leftmost, with
friends in
Beijing.
erature classes, usually in the first or second year
of the students. Because of an existing Exchange
Program between Peking University and the
Ateneo de Manila, Ateneo has been sending a
teacher to teach in the program since the mid1990s (Note: the exchange program between the
Ateneo and Peking University was first established
in 1991). In the past, among the professors sent
by the Ateneo to participate in the program were:
Mr. Roberto Ortañez, Dr. Florentino Hornedo,
Mrs. Nenita Escasa, Ms. Janneth Candor and
Mr. Joseph Salazar. I was sent here in 1999 and
when given the opportunity, I decided to teach
again this year, 2008.
The Philippine Studies Program in Peking
University must have started sometime in the
1980’s (originally with professors from the
University of the Philippines coming there to
teach some courses). It is a program where they
allow 10 to 15 students to take Philippine Studies
as their major. It is not every year that they get
students to major in it; it is open only every four
years. A student taken in the program cannot shift
to other programs in the university; he or she
graduates as a Philippine Studies major. It is the
only program of its kind in China. Out of the 1.4
even looks infinitely richer. The big change is apparent on and off campus. It is still a beautiful
campus: the old section with the man-made lake
is still there, surrounded by the old buildings in
the traditional architecture, while in other parts of
the campus you will find the new massive buildings in minimalist style. In this latter section you
may think you are in an American campus. In
1999 I would get paranoid because the students
would tell me not to be critical of the government because members of the party are all over
the campus. I don’t get the same feeling now. My
students today seem so much like our students in
Ateneo—besotted with American songs, movies,
soccer, computer games, baseball and basketball.
Nevertheless, my Chinese students are still as diligent as before in their studies. They have studied Filipino for only two years in an environment
where Filipino is hardly heard but they are probably far more proficient in it than many Ateneans
who have stayed all their lives in the Philippines.
“Malling” is not yet in their system. Although
one sees that China is becoming a consumerist culture, the students in general are as simple as before in terms of fashion and lifestyle. However, this
may change soon. In 1999 there were small stores
room on the fifth floor which can be very silent
save for the usual hum of a city with heavy traffic.
Traffic here, by the way, is infinitely heavier now
compared 1999. There are more cars everywhere,
displacing the iconic Beijing bicycle. It is more
dangerous here to cross an avenue than in Manila
because of many bicycles, including electric bicycles. We don’t have the latter in Manila but it
is their counterpart of our motorcycles which is
banned here. Cars and pedestrians, it seems, don’t
follow traffic signs.
For a non-Mandarin speaking person in Beijing,
life can be restricted. It is difficult to have friends.
I cannot even converse with the cleaning lady who
I see everyday. We manage to communicate with
gestures and the occasional ni hao. People tend
to avoid you if you speak in English. I rely mostly on cultural codes to be able to survive here. I
should have studied Mandarin, but even for me,
a language teacher who also studied the Romance
languages, Chinese is very difficult, starting with
the sounds and not even considering the tones.
Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel Literature awardee in
2007, was here to give a lecture recently, but I
missed it because the posters announcing the activity were in Chinese! Beijing is still not tourist
friendly because of the language. But a colleague
of mine would say, we don’t need tourists!
They have good and big bookstores in and
near the campus, but I still miss the bookstores in
Manila with entire floors of Filipino and English
books. Here they have four- or five-floor bookstores with mostly Chinese books save for a shelf
or two of foreign books. I needed to bring a lot
of books to read for leisure. Also because of my
age—matanda na (getting older)—I don’t go out
at night anymore. In 1999, I would go out with
the Filipino students at the Beijing Language
and Culture University and try different restaurants and bars. I got to meet many Filipinos who
were members of bands playing in different bars.
Night life should be more exciting now, especially
with the Olympics just around the corner, but I
wouldn’t really know. A Filipina I met at the airport recently said that I should go out if I want to
meet many Filipinos. Apparently there are many
Filipinos now working in Beijing, and a lot of
them are supposedly TNTs. Kung nasaan ang trabaho, may mga TNT (Where there is work, you
will find TNTs). I suppose life here is like that of
the life of any OFW (overseas Filipino worker).
continued on page 14
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As we reluctantly packed our bags on our last
day in Zhuhai, we were glumly exchanged comments like “Why did it go so fast?” and “I wish
that we could still extend.” One even suggested in
jest, “Tago na lang tayo dito sa Zhuhai, mura lang
naman e.” It was difficult seeing the best six weeks
of our lives coming to an end. Even after our airplane had landed in Manila, we clutched our seats,
feebly attempting to prolong the most wonderful
and unforgettable journey of our lives.
The journey began a few months ago when
our Chinese 1 teacher, Clark Alejandrino, told us
about a six-week summer exchange program which
would allow us to take nine units of Mandarin
courses in Sun-yat-sen University, China. Initially,
my plan had been to participate in the Junior Term
Abroad of JGSOM. The more I heard about the
China exchange program however, the more I my
interest grew. Finally, I made my decision, submitted my letter of intent to the Chinese Studies
Program, and hoped for the best.
The weeks that followed were a blur. Before I
knew it, it was the day of our departure and I was
getting ready to board the flight to Guangzhou
with fifteen other Ateneans. Little did I know that
the lost, excited faces I saw at the airport that night
would turn out to be some of the most wonderful
friends I’d ever have. That night, we left Manila
with heavy bags and fluttery hearts.
We arrived at the Zhuhai Campus of Zhongshan
Daxue (Chinese name of Sun-yat-sen University)
past midnight after a two-hour bus ride from
Guangzhou. I was very hungry then, but the moment I set eyes on the majestic campus, I forgot
all about food. Alighting from the bus, we were
greeted by the cool Zhuhai breeze that made our
six-week stay so pleasant. When we reached our
dormitory, I was even more elated. Our room had
two comfortable beds, an air-conditioner, a water
dispenser, a study table, and even a television.
As we toured around the following day, we discovered that our campus wasn’t just scenic, but also
convenient. It had a supermarket, bookstore, cellphone shop, and even a karaoke place. All around
us were beautiful mountains and majestic lakes. As
we walked along the tree-lined pavements, entire
flocks of bicycles whizzed by, carrying students towards the classroom building. It was an imposing
structure, six stories in height and almost one kilometer in length, making it the longest such building in the world. The campus was also equipped
with sports facilities like basketball courts, tennis
courts, soccer fields, and even an Olympic stadium. On the farthest corner of the campus was the
library, constructed like two thirteen-storey halves
of an open book.
After the tour, we decided to eat at one of the
three school cafeterias, and ended up at the one
near our dormitory. It was difficult ordering food
that day because the cafeteria food had such complicated names, so we just resorted to pointing
and nodding until they got our orders right. In
the course of six weeks, we would eventually learn
how to call our favorite dishes like the chaofan,
“yao la de ma” barbecue, xiaolongbao, lamian, hefengniurou rice, etc. After the cheap yet sumptuous meal, we spent the whole night playing “Jack
the Killers” in Mr. Alejandrino’s room. That was
where I first got to know my classmates’ names.
Of course, we were not there just to play but
also to learn. We first met our teachers at our welcome party, where we performed Filipino and
Chinese songs and played games together with
the Chinese students and other exchange students
from France. For six weeks, our teachers guided
us to learn and love Chinese. Although we had to
wake up early and spend the entire morning for
the Comprehensive Chinese class, we never got
bored because of the variety of class activities. We
discussed stories, wrote essays, played games, and
watched music videos. It was in our language classes where we fell in love with the songs of Jay Chou,
Guang Liang, Lin Junjie, and the popular Chinese
artists of “Beijing Huanying Ni”. It was in class too
where we learned to appreciate more deeply the
beauty and practicality of the Chinese language.
Our learning was not confined to the walls of the
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classroom. We often exchanged stories and jokes
with our Chinese friends during meals. It was funny how after a delicious meal, we Filipinos would
say “Haochi!” while the Chinese would say “Sarap!”
Oftentimes, we also visited the Chinese students’
rowdy dorm to play DotA and watch NBA. In between the games, our Chinese friends would teach
us popular (and some unpopular) words and phrases in Cantonese, then ask for the Filipino equivalents. The day after, we eagerly applied our newly
acquired vocabulary on the basketball court.
In addition to the “extra-curricular” learning,
we also had Chinese culture and calligraphy classes in the afternoons. To put up with our eccentric
teacher in calligraphy class, we all did our best in
mastering the strokes of the Chinese characters.
In our culture class, we learned about Chinese
martial arts, traditional dance and music, archi-
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Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, and Zhongshan. I
was so impressed at how developed and fast-paced
even the small Chinese cities were. Most of the time,
we visited historical monuments, cultural sites,
and ancient temples. While our eyes feasted on the
breathtaking sceneries of Guangdong province, our
mouths gorged on the different varieties of local cuisine, scorpions included. The tours opened my eyes
to the Chinese way of life, making me appreciate
China even more.
During our field trips, one activity was always present—shopping. Our Chinese friends often marveled
at how even the Filipino guys loved shopping more
than the most extravagant Chinese girls. We would
patrol the vibrant shopping districts, haggle over everything from hair clips to laptops, and always manage
to squeeze good deals out of the vendors. We had no
classes Mondays so we often rode the bus to Gongbei
An unforgettable six
weeks in Zhuhai
tecture, tea culture, among many others things.
However, I found it difficult at times to concentrate in the afternoon classes since my mind was
already drifting to the basketball games after class
and the activities for the night.
Nights in Zhuhai were crazy. Being the diligent
students that we are, we spent the early part of the
evening reviewing our lessons. The late evenings were
reserved for more engaging pursuits. Once, we sat in
our friend’s Chinese Philosophy class and amused
ourselves at the Chinese students’ subtle ways of
fighting boredom. Oftentimes, we played card
games with consequences such as singing in front of
class or dancing in front of a Chinese student. When
the mood struck, we would turn up the volume of
our iPods and reenact musicals or hold makeshift
disco balls in our rooms. The wholesome ones held
movie sessions while curled under the blankets. The
not-so-wholesome ones held sleepovers where they
laughed and cackled from midnight until sunrise.
The bouts of insanity did not end there.
Apparently, some of us forgot Cai Laoshi’s (Mr.
Alejandrino) words right before he left, “Don’t do
anything to embarrass the name of Ateneo.” Well,
we joined a university-wide singing contest, introduced ourselves as Filipino students and sang a
By Scott Allison G. Si, 3-BS MGT
and Wanzai, two of the most popular shopping
districts in Zhuhai. On our last week, we rode to
Gongbei again and splurged on souvenirs.
On our last night in Zhuhai, our Chinese
friends visited us at our dorm. They brought a
farewell gift to us—a video slideshow woven out
of our vain pictures and wacky memories. At the
end of the video, they dedicated messages telling
us how much we had changed their lives in the
span of six weeks. After the video, they told us
that life would be very different for them after we
left. In that teary-eyed moment, we realized too
how much the six weeks had changed our lives,
and how happy those weeks had become because
of our dear friends.
The next day, it was time to leave. After eating our favorite meals at the cafeteria and packing our things, it was time to ride the bus back to
Guangzhou airport. Before leaving, I took a final
glance at my dear friends, knowing that I might
never see those faces again. I looked one last time
at the classroom building, the cafeteria, the supermarket, the basketball courts, the dormitories
. . . the places where we left our footprints, the
backdrops where we formed our memories. As I
S cott A llison G . S i
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Sun-yat-sen University Guangzhou campus group picture with our Chinese friends
popular song “Tonghua” like a broken chant. The
only consolation was the thunderous applause we
received from the crowd. During our last week in
Zhuhai, the French exchange students invited us
to a dinner that ended with thirty-one bottles of
Tsingtao beer and a water fight.
Contented as we were with life inside
Zhongshan Daxue, any trip abroad would not
be complete without the tours. On weekends,
we went on field trips that took us to Zhaoqing,
walked one last time at the school grounds, only
one thought echoed in my mind—I will miss
Zhongshan Daxue, our school and our home.
On April 11, we left Manila with heavy bags
and fluttery hearts. On May 23, we returned to
Manila with heavier bags, but also taking with
us new knowledge, a wealth of experiences, and
friendships to last a lifetime. Our six-week journey
may have already ended, but everything it gave us
will always be cherished and forever live on. LSB
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Serving to learn, learning to serve
By Cholo Torres ¶ This year, students from various academic disciplines will go outside the confines of their classroom in order to serve the underprivileged sectors of society. But they will also
do it while learning inside the classroom. Sounds
impossible? Not with service learning.
Because of the University’s continued commitment towards forming men and women for others who will be at the forefront of nation-building, the Loyola Schools is promoting the concept of service learning as an avenue for fostering
faculty and student social involvement. It entails
students working with a social development institution (government, non-government organizations, people’s organizations, cooperatives,
community centers) through a project which is
considered a part of their academic requirements,
thus linking social involvement with academic
learning. Through this endeavor, both faculty
and students can utilize their acquired skills and
knowledge in their respective disciplines while
rendering service to society, thus becoming professionals for others.
Various faculty members of the Loyola Schools
“Service-learning teaches students that
they can use their professional skills
for social development. Hopefully this
will carry on even after they graduate.
Also, students sometimes have a hard
time framing encounters with NGOs or
communities. Service-learning provides
the initial frame for them which makes
the encounters much less awkward.”
— Leland de la Cruz
have volunteered to embark on this initiative, with
the Coordinator for Faculty Social Involvement
Mr. Leland Joseph de la Cruz (also the Director of
the Development Studies Program) facilitating the
encounter between the faculty members and various social development institutions. Service learning, he says, “is an efficient way of getting students
and faculty involved in the task of social transformation because the time they use in being involved
is the same time they use for fulfilling their academic responsibilities. It isn’t “extra”-curricular.”
Several Loyola Schools academic departments
will take part in this initiative throughout the
Service learning as a social involvement
initiative in the Loyola Schools
School Year 2008-2009, with projects already
rolling off this first semester. Students will visit
their respective partner institutions to conduct research work and other projects for them. Upon
completion, the students will present and turn
over the service learning outputs to the partner
institutions.
To mention a few of the participating classes,
Philippine Business and Economic Environment
(L&S 10) students will come up with industry research studies for institutions such as Kabalikat ng
Botika Binhi Inc. (KBBI) which established 800+
village pharmacies selling generic medicines, NonTimber Forest Products (NTFP) which markets
locally-made food and crafts made by indigenous
peoples, and Business Support Organizations
Network Association (BSO Network) which serves
as an umbrella organization of the country’s leading manufacturing and exporting industries. On
the other hand, students enrolled in the Systems
Analysis and Design (MIS 121) will come up
with systems and database development projects
for the National Confederation of Cooperatives
which gives financial intermediation services to
its member cooperatives all over the country. The
Fine Arts Program has joined in as well, with its
Introduction to Aesthetics (FA 101) classes conducting various performance and art workshops
for the youth of Gawad Kalinga-Ateneo areas.
It should be mentioned however, that this is not
the first time that the Loyola Schools has implemented service learning. Through the years, service learning has been continuously implemented
through the Praxis Program—a tie-up program
between the Economics Department through
its Theory and Practice of Social Development
(ECO 177) classes and the Theology Department
through its A Theology of a Catholic Social Vision
(TH 141) classes, with its activities mainly coordinated and facilitated by the Office for Social
Concern and Involvement. Aside from the Praxis
Program, service-learning type projects have been
done before for theses by various departments.
The current initiative seeks to transform even
more courses into service-learning courses. This
year’s new service learning classes aside from those
already set up through the Praxis Program could
be considered as a breakthrough in terms of pro-
moting and implementing social involvement in
an academic set-up.
What is crucial to this initiative is matching
up the needs of the social development institutions with the learning objectives of the students.
Service learning is reciprocal in nature—it benefits both the social development institution
and the students by combining a service experience with a learning experience, which, as a result, makes the concepts learned by the students
in class more relevant. Negotiations between the
development institutions and the participating
faculty were conducted so that the needs of the
institutions and the learning objectives and competencies of the students could be matched. De la
Cruz remarks, “I think service-learning teaches
students that they can use their professional skills
for social development. Hopefully this will carry
on even after they graduate. Also, students sometimes have a hard time framing encounters with
NGOs or communities. Service-learning provides
the initial frame for them which makes the encounters much less awkward.”
Aside from the output, of equal importance is
the social formation process which the students
will undergo during their service learning experience. Thus, this linking of the ‘service providers’
and the ‘clients’ through service learning should
not be done without providing processing sessions to remind students of the value of being professionals for others and being of service to the nation. This will also be conducted for the students
to express their insights and lessons learned in the
experience as part of the University’s objective of
forming our country’s future leaders.
The recent efforts in setting up service learning
can be seen as the first step towards realizing the
full potential of academic forms of social involvement in the Loyola Schools. The challenge now
is to bring service learning across more academic
disciplines.
Those who may have ideas on how to incorporate service-learning into more courses may contact Leland Dela Cruz <[email protected]> or
Cholo Torres <[email protected]> at local 5218.
For a complete list of service learning courses being
conducted this semester, please visit <www.ateneo.
edu> or <ls.ateneo.edu>.
Engaging China
By Erlinda Eileen G. Lolarga ¶ Emerging world
power China is resplendent in its ancient and colorful history that spans over 2000 years. Its vast
storehouse of cultural artifacts and antiquities,
wide-ranging business opportunities, and enormous market potential make it a worthy destination to explore and discover on different levels,
whether it be scholarly pursuits for academics, cultural adventures for tourists, or business ventures
and engagements for professionals and entrepreneurs. China is host to the 2008 Olympics to be
held in its capital Beijing in August. For Filipinos
with Chinese heritage or for those who are simply
enthusiastic and curious fans of Chinese culture
and history, 2008 is a good time to visit China.
Exchange programs with China
As the Ateneo de Manila University established
the Chinese Studies program in the 1980s and
opened its doors to exchange programs with
China, generous benefactors from the FilipinoChinese community have stepped up to support a stream of Ateneo delegations on cultural visits to China, Chinese exchange professors and graduate students from China doing
research in the Philippines and vice-versa, and
now, Junior Term Abroad (JTA) students visiting various schools in China for exchange programs. Initially partnering with schools such as
Xiamen University, Fu Jen University, and Peking
University, the Ateneo’s partners today include
Hongkong Baptist University (HKBU), Sun Yat
Sen University (SYSU), University of Macau,
Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU), and
Providence University.
For the first semester of schoolyear 2008-2009,
Office of International Programs (OIP), counts
20 visiting Chinese students coming from Sun
Yat-Sen University (10), University of Macau (8),
and Peking University (2). This number accounts
for roughly half of the 43 inbound international
exchange students, both undergraduate and graduate, for the first semester. The students from
University of Macau are here on a special summer semester program, taking two accelerated
management courses. The Peking University students, on the other hand, are here for research and
seminar programs for a year, while the SYSU students are here to attend regular semestral classes.
A visiting professor from Providence University in
Taiwan, Ms. Liu Chia Chi, was on campus from
November 2007 to May 2008 as lecturer on the
Mandarin language at the Ricardo Leong Center
for Chinese Studies.
Summer visits to China
Two student groups from the Ateneo de Manila
visited China this summer. The John Gokongwei
School of Management (JGSOM) group composed
of 18 students was chaperoned by Mr. Alyson Yap,
Communications Technology Program Director,
from April 4-30. The SOM group spent 20 days
in China, staying a few days in Hongkong with
Hongkong Baptist University as their host, with
the rest of their visit hosted by the University
of International Business Economics (UBE) in
Beijing. A typical day during the tour would be
lectures by Chinese professors on History, Politics,
Economics, Christianity in China, and Business
in China in the mornings. Afternoons were spent
touring companies or cultural sites. Another group
of 24 students from the Chinese Studies Program
of the School of Social Sciences, also embarked on
a tour of China which is actually a credit-based
summer course (see separate story).
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A library at a time in
and the Sangguniang Bayan Representative of
Jordan, Guimaras, Hon. Jasmin LagundayGange, would eventually lead to the Training
Workshop for School Librarians. The workshop
was held last May 12-14, 2008, at the spacious
and airy STNHS library, an environment very
conducive to learning something new, if not totally groundbreaking. Mrs. Lourdes T. David, assisted by Ms. Agnes Salmon, librarian of the Ateneo
de Sta. Maria-Iloilo High School, conducted the
workshop.
Over 30 schoolteachers, representing 15 of the
17 high schools of the island, attended the workshop. These teachers would then form the very
first batch of librarians-to-be of the high schools.
The librarian-training workshop included the
following topics: sorting books based on the books’
condition; indexing the books and making different catalogue cards; creating call numbers and accession codes; creating borrowers cards; arranging catalogue cards in boxes; arranging books on
shelves; and processing books from borrowers.
The workshop also included a role-playing exercise that allowed the participants to experience
how it was to actually process the books from
would-be borrowers. Above all, to provide the
context on why libraries are essential to learning,
Mrs. David opened the workshop with the topic
on how to build and foster a stronger culture of
literacy in a school environment!
At the end of the 3-day workshop, it was happily noted that all of the participants enjoyed and
found the workshop most productive, significant
and fruitful! A number of them even commented that they wished there were more days to the
workshop so they could learn more and practice
how to process the books.
In response to these comments, Mrs. David
suggested to the Department of Education
Schools Superintendent that a two- or three-day
“post-workshop practicum” be provided for the
participants. This practicum period would then
allow them to process all the books of the STNHS
Library and allow them to have a fully operational
school library by the time the school year opened
in June. Similarly, this batch of new librarians
could then help each other out, in a “bayanihanspirit way,” as each new school library is estab-
Health Sciences Program turns over RFID
system to Tropical Disease Foundation
By Camille T. Onglao ¶ The Health Sciences
Program turned over a Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID)-based Drug Inventory
System to the Tropical Disease Foundation, Inc.
(TDFI), in a simple turn-over ceremony held at
the Quirino Memorial Medical Center, Project 4,
last June 16, 2008.
The ceremony marked the culmination of
the collaboration between the HSc program and
TDFI. The project was funded by a grant from
the International Union Against Tuberculosis
and Lung Disease (IUALTD), an organization
whose mission is to prevent and control tuberculosis and lung disease, particularly in low income
countries.
This collaboration was initiated by Dr. John Q.
Wong of the HSc Program, and involved the HSc
students who undertook this as part of the HSc
thesis program which aims to engage students in
health issues and the health system.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Wong, the
HSc thesis students designed a cost-beneficial
drug inventory system for the Philippine public
health system. The RFID system that they designed was then presented to TDFI as a proposal
to improve the drug inventory management system of the DOH.
Dr. Wong formed two teams of HSc students
who conducted the cost-benefit analysis and piloted the implementation over two years. Their
group sought the technical expertise of the Ateneo’s
Department of Electronics and Communications
Engineering and the UP Electronics and Electrical
Engineering Department.
The first batch of HSc researchers, which included Hannah Paula V. Doromal and Muriel Tania
L. Go, won third place in the DOH-sponsored
8th Health Research for Action National Forum
in 2007. A second group, made up of Camille T.
Onglao, Ma. Carrissa Abigail R. Roxas, and Carlo
Emmanuel L. Yao, completed the project earlier
this year.
Representatives of DOH and TDFI witnessed
the turnover ceremony. Dr. Thelma Tupasi,
President of TDFI received the finished project
from Dr. Norman Dennis E. Marquez, Director of
HSc Program, Dr. Wong and Mr. Tai. After an audio-visual presentation of the project, the students
demonstrated how the RFID system works by doing an actual partial inventory of the warehouse.
Guimaras
Lourdes David demonstrates,
then supervises would-be
librarians as they prepare
books for library use.
lished in the succeeding
months.
Looking ahead, it has
been noted that there are
still many opportunities
to further develop, not
only the TVC-STNHS
library, but other public school libraries as well.
Although the other schools still need more book
donations in order to be able to establish their
own libraries, it is also hoped that the schools on
the island can eventually develop their own fully
computerized libraries. The STNHS Library may
therefore serve as a benchmark for other school libraries from hereon. Nonetheless, more assistance
and support will still be needed to develop this
library into a modern, if not world-class, public
school library.
Ateneo receives European Commission
funding for grid computing project
By Rafael Saldaña ¶ The School of Science and Engineering is now
part of a European Commission-funded project on grid computing.
Called “EUAsiaGrid - Towards a Common e-Science Infrastructure
for the European and Asian Grids,” the project is an international
research collaboration involving 15 institutions from Europe, Asia,
and Australia.
The project’s main goal is to pave the way towards an Asian eScience Grid Infrastructure, in synergy with the other European
Grid initiatives in Asia, namely EGEE-III via its Asia Federation,
and both the EUChinaGRID and EU-IndiaGRID projects, and
their eventual follow-on efforts.
Aside from Ateneo de Manila University, the project consortium includes the following institutions: Instituto Nazionale
di Fisica Nucleare (Italy), CESNET, z.s.p.p. (Czech Republic),
University of Manchester (United Kingdom), HEALTHGRID
(France), Australian National University (Australia), Academica
Sinica (Taiwan), Advanced Science and Technology Institute
(Philippines), Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute (Thailand),
Infocomm Development Authority (Singapore), Ho Chi Minh
City Institute of Information Technology (Vietnam), Institute
of Technology of Bandung (Indonesia), National Electronics
and Computer Technology Center (Thailand), Universiti Putra
Malaysia (Malaysia), MIMOS Berhard (Malaysia)
The project leader for Ateneo de Manila University is Dr. Rafael
Saldaña, Associate Professor in the Mathematics Department. For more
information about the EUAsiaGrid project, visit the website <www.
euasiagrid.org> or contact Dr. Saldaña at <[email protected]>.
A nna R ojas
By Anna Cristina L. Rojas ¶ Since February
2007, a project to help the Trinidad V. Canja-Sta.
Teresa National High School (TVC-STNHS) in
Guimaras establish its own school library has been
ongoing.
In December 2006, an unplanned visit to the
school by this author presented the opportunity
to meet and talk with Mrs. Norma Tanaleon, its
Principal. At that time, she mentioned that one of
her desires, if not needs, was to establish a library
in the school for her students.
A month later, Mrs. Lourdes T. David, Director
of the Rizal Library at the Ateneo de Manila
University, made it possible for a book drive to
be conducted through the Rizal Library. A carton box was placed at the front foyer of the Rizal
Library, and a few signs were placed on the library’s bulletin boards to announce the book drive
and seek book donations. An email campaign was
also launched to solicit book donations that can
be dropped off at Rizal Library. By the end of
February 2007, donated books were enough to
fill 60 boxes.
By the end of March 2007, through the help of
a group of people, now collectively referred to as
the “Friends of Rizal Library”, the boxes of books
made their way to TVC-STNHS in Guimaras.
Mrs. Tanaleon, together with representatives from
their faculty and students, welcomed the books
with teary eyes and very grateful hearts. Not in
their wildest dreams did they also expect to receive
so many books for their school!
It was because of this large volume of books
that Mrs. Tanaleon then decided to seek funding
support from the local government to build a new
library. No less than the Governor of Guimaras,
Felipe Nava, together with the mayor, barangay
officials, and other community and school leaders worked together to make the new library a
reality. Last December 17, 2007, the new Sta.
Teresa National High School Library was inaugurated with festivities worthy of such a historic
event. After more than 33 years, the school finally
had a library to cater to its over 1,300 high school
students.
Since late January 2008, a series of conversations with Mrs. David, the Schools District
Superintendent of Guimaras, Ms. Meriem Collado,
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Daniel McNamara SJ Endowment Fund launched faculty update ••• The Department
Fr. Daniel J. McNamara, SJ has always kept classes (and graduating classes) riveted, not only with
his booming voice, but more significantly with
stories that highlight his ideas, demonstrations
that dramatize concepts, and insights that invite
reflection. He explains difficult concepts in physics with clarity. He marries the ideas of physics
with those of philosophy and theology.
Fr. Dan’s exemplary qualities go beyond the
classroom. Through his many years as College
Chaplain, he has guided many students and faculty members with his patient listening, wise words,
and sincere generosity of heart, whether it was a
problem of physics or of the heart.
Fr. Dan forms students and faculty in many
different ways: by developing their competencies,
helping them to find themselves, and by being a
true example of a person whose life is fully dedicated to God.
During a simple celebration held on June 23,
2008 to mark Fr. Dan’s 69th birthday and his 50th
year as a Jesuit, and to wish him well on his new
assignment at the Ateneo de
Davao, colleagues, friends, and
fans came together to launch
the Daniel McNamara S.J.
Endowment Fund.
Held at the Escaler Hall of the Science
Education Center in the Loyola Heights campus,
the celebration began with a mass, which was followed by a tribute led by Fr. Dan’s colleagues from
the School of Science and Engineering and the
Manila Observatory. The launch of the endowment fund capped the short program.
The endowment fund was conceptualized by
the Loyola Schools as a lasting, practical way of
honoring Fr. Dan. The fund will support the college studies of a Physics student from the province
with a target amount of Php 2.5 million to be
raised by June 2009 in order to have a self-supporting resource. On the day of the launch, P.5
million was raised, an encouraging start indeed
to help Fr. Dan continue his legacy of scholarship
and service.
Those who wish to pledge or contribute to theDaniel J. McNamara Endowment Fund may contact Ms.
Jolly Morata of the Office of Admission and Aid at
4266001 local 5158 or <[email protected]>.
Fr. Dan
McNamara
feted by
colleagues
and friends.
Photos by
Jolly Morata
we remember ••• Jose Lorenzo A. Tan† (GS ’98, HS ’02, BSME ’06) passed
away on June 30, 2008 at the age of 24. At the time of his death Lorenz was a graduate student and
teaching assistant at the Philosophy Department. He is fondly remembered by his friends and by the
Philosophy Department.
His friend, classmate, and former Philosophy graduate assistant Anjeline de Dios has this to share
about Lorenz: “Lorenz was a wonderful listener, never judgmental or patronizing. He would use his
wit to ask ridiculous questions whenever I shared my worries with him, always seeking to lighten my
mood without being trite or dismissive about it. Often he succeeded. What always brought a smile to
my face wasn’t just his droll responses but the way he listened to me—I felt total acceptance and support from him, all the time. He made it easy for me to be my true self around him.”
Close encounters in Beijing
One misses home and family, and Filipino food
and humor. Today, it is a good thing that SMS and
email are around. Family are just a call or a text
away. In 1999 one could only rely on snail mail. A
treat back then would be an entire newspaper sent
by my family. Now, I have the Philippine Daily
Inquirer, Philippine Star, or Manila Bulletin on the
Internet.
The Beijing Olympics and signs
of Chinese nationalism
In less than two months, Olympics will be upon
the city. I have not bought any tickets yet—blame
the language again. The marathon will pass by my
dorm though—and that I can probably catch. I
could also watch the table tennis event in the campus or any other event not popular among the
Chinese. Definitely Opening and Closing ceremonies tickets are difficult to get at this time,
as well as tickets for popular games like soccer,
basketball, and gymnastics. Baka boxing pa where
continued from page 10
Filipinos may do well. Sepak takraw?
Because of the recent earthquake last May 12
and the Olympics this coming August, Chinese
nationalism is palpable in the city. T-shirts with
“I Love China” designs are all over the place. The
city is cleaner. I also observed that plastic bags
in all stores are not provided automatically—you
have to buy it if you have no bag to carry your
purchased goods. They are thinking of banning
smoking in many places. I was on a bus recently
with my students when two sets of people had a
heated argument over a seat. An old couple insisted that the seat was reserved for the elderly, but a
middle-aged man said he and his wife got on the
bus ahead of the other couple so the seat was for
them. The argument went on and on so that the
other people in the bus could not even carry on
with their own conversations. Then suddenly, one
of my male students told them to stop because
there was a foreigner on the bus—referring to me
of course—and they stopped. LSB
of Information Systems and Computer Science welcomes Dr. Kardi
Teknomo. Dr. Teknomo’s research focuses on modeling and simu-
lation of human behavior related to urban infrastructure and built
environments. His research methods include self-organizing systems, intelligence agent models, cellular automata, data mining and
multi-criteria decision making techniques. Dr. Teknomo has more
than 12 years of international experience in lecturing, research, and
consultation in Indonesia, Japan, and Austria. Previously, he worked
as Hertha Firnberg senior research fellow at Human Centered
Mobility Technologies in Arsenal Research, Austria
and lecturer and senior researcher at the Institute
of Lowland Technology, Saga University, Japan. He
founded the traffic and transportation planning
laboratory, and served as the director of the research
center at Petra Christian University, Indonesia. Dr.
Teknomo holds a PhD from the Graduate School
of Information Sciences Tohoku University,
Kardi Teknomo
Japan, a Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) in
Geotechnical and Transportation Engineering from Asian Institute
of Technology, Thailand and Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Ir.)
from Petra Christian University in his native Indonesia. He has
more than 50 international publications in refereed journals, conferences and books. ¶ The Biology Department welcomes back
Dr. Vernie G. Sagun. Vernie started part-time in 1998. Upon
completion of his MS degree in Biodiversity and Natural Products
from Universiteit Leiden in the Netherlands in 2002, he returned
to the Ateneo briefly then left for the United States to pursue his
PhD in Plant Biology at the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His
area of specialization is Plant Systematics
which deals with the identification, classification, nomenclature, and evolutionary relationships of plants. In his dissertation, he studied the pollen morphology
and ultrastructure of Acalypha, molecular
phylogenetics of Malesian Acalypha using
DNA sequence data. He also produced a
taxonomic revision of the Acalypha speVernie Sagun
cies in Malesia. The Malesian floristic region is a biodiversity hotspot which includes Indonesia, Malaysia,
Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Timor Leste, the Philippines and
Papua New Guinea. Dr. Sagun considers it his significant achievement to have been able to describe four species of Acalypha
which are new to science. ¶ Mr. Crisanto M. Lopez has been
an Instructor with the Biology Department since 2004. He has a
MS degree in Food Science and Technology from Ecole Nationale
Superieure des Industries Agricoles et
Alimentaires in Montpellier, France.
Cris served as Undergraduate Programs
Coordinator and Faculty Moderator of
the Biology student organization. This
year he departs to pursue a PhD program
in Infection Biology at the Jena School
for Microbial Communication, Friedrich
Schiller University of Jena, Germany. Cris
is a recipient of a PhD scholarship under
the German Excellence Initiative. Jena
Crisanto Lopez
University boasts of an illustrious tradition
of excellence as exemplified by Ernst Haeckel (evolutionary theorist), Gottlob Frege (mathematician and logician), Otto Binswanger
(psychiatrist), and Rudolf Eucken (philosopher). ¶ Dr. Mariano
A. Estoque is a locally and internationally renowned figure in the
field of the Atmospheric Sciences. Most recently, he was recognized for his “Seminal and continuing contributions to the modeling of the atmospheric boundary layer and sea breezes” by the
American Meteorological Society
at the 7th Conference on Coastal
Atmospheric and Oceanic Prediction
and Processes and the 7th Symposium
on
the
Urban
Environment
held last September 2007 in San
Diego, California. His professional experience over many decades has seen
him through various research positions
Mariano Estoque
and professorships in academic and research institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, University
of Chicago, McGill University, US Air Force Cambridge Research
Center, University of Hawaii (Chair of Department of Meteorology
and Oceanography), University of Miami, University of the
Philippines, and now, the Ateneo de Manila University. During this
time, he has also generously mentored many generations of atmospheric scientists. He is presently an Adjunct Professor with the
Department of Physics. He continues to be active in research with
the PAGASA and the Manila Observatory and is instructing the
latest generation of atmospheric scientists under the new Masteral
program in Atmospheric Science.
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Themasterplan
strong in Men’s Football, but last year, we did well
in Women’s Football too.”
“We’ve gotten good coaches, stepped up our
development and training programs, and improved our recruiting,” he declares matter-offactly. He reiterates that the University Athletics
Office prides itself in giving good training to our
athletes, particularly by encouraging participation
in tournaments both here and abroad. Through
this experience and exposure, athletes get used to
the pressure and magnitude of big-time competition, something they’ll deal with everyday during
the UAAP wars.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Palou mentions
that improving certain facilities within the campus are the next steps in this ongoing process.
“We’re looking at establishing a Track and Field
oval where our football field is, as well as improving the football field itself,” he remarks. Although
the Ateneo Football Field is used in various tournaments, Ricky notes that it is still below international standards. The same can be said for our
baseball and softball facilities.
For recent visitors to the Loyola Heights
campus, passing near the Communications
Department will eventually lead one to the Loyola
Schools Swimming Pool. Built with the help of
Ateneo alumnus Mr. Cecilio K. Pedro, the LS
Swimming Pool joins the Moro Lorenzo Sports
Center as shining examples of the renewed thrust
in Ateneo Athletics. By establishing better training facilities and venues, it has thus been easier
to recruit both coaches and athletes to come and
The University Cheer Rally
Feathered with prayers and ready to flock
in the company of mentors and friends,
the Eagles soar once more.
Photos by CK Chua,
Ateneo Sports Shooters
Text by Migoy Lizada
athletics
Richard
“Ricky”
Palou of the
University
Athletics
Office
rani jalandoni
By Jason Inocencio ¶ There is no doubt that after
years of relative mediocrity, the Ateneo is once
again seen as a powerhouse in the University
Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP).
Part of that success can be attributed to the contributions of Mr. Richard “Ricky” Palou.
A true-blue Atenean from grade school through
college, Palou has firsthand experience in the glory
of competing for the Blue and White. “In 1966,
we won the NCAA Juniors title in basketball,”
he proudly states. “We swept that season.” Three
years later, he was on the Nilo Verona-coached
Blue Eagle squad that won the basketball tournament in the NCAA Seniors division. “Francis
Arnaiz, Chito Afable, Marte Samson, and Joy
Cleofas were some of my teammates back then,”
he recalls. As if the success in basketball wasn’t
enough, Palou also won gold in track and field
events like the high hurdles.
In his current position as Ateneo’s Director for
University Athletics, Palou oversees the continued
development of the university’s various sports.
Although most only see the success of the Men’s
Seniors Basketball team as the measuring stick, he
is quick to point out that in 2008, athletes from
different teams wearing the Blue and White are
set to make waves in their respective disciplines.
“We can do very well in Men’s Basketball,
there’s Women’s Swimming, Women’s Tennis,
Men’s and Women’s Volleyball, Men’s Track and
Field,” he notes. “In baseball, we’ll be a top four
contender, and we’ll also be contending in Men’s
Judo as well as Women’s Fencing. Ateneo is always
15
compete for the Ateneo. “It’s been good for the school because it
proves that we aren’t just good academically, but athletically as well,”
Palou says in response to a common bias against Ateneans.
Before our interview ended, Mr. Palou mentioned that when
he first took over as Director of University Athletics, people congratulated him on the marked improvement of athletes in different Ateneo teams. However, he deflects that praise. “Credit should
be given to Fr. Ben Nebres, who has been so supportive of our
Athletics Program. I don’t think we could have accomplished any
of this without Fr. Ben.” Still, it doesn’t hurt that a man familiar
with Ateneo’s athletic past has become the capable caretaker of the
school’s present and future.
Go blue!
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men’s basketball
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cribbled on the white board of the locker
rooms of the Araneta Coliseum are formations on
offense and defense, reminders about tendencies
of opponents, and of course, the game plan. They
are the products of meticulous planning; of long
days and nights of video watching and scouting.
For the eight UAAP teams that made their debut
during opening weekend, they are variants on the
same theme— triangle offenses, pressure defenses, rebounds fueling their fastbreak, winning possession, but the ultimate goal is the same—get
that first win.
Of course, that is easier said than done. One
has to consider opening day jitters, rookies receiving their baptism of fire, and perhaps a doubleedged sword, playing La Salle.
Everyone’s gunning for the defending champs
but pushovers they are not. They have been, after
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private entrance of players, coaches, team officials,
and members of the media. Three hours before the
4pm tip-off, the line at the gate was so long that
one could have sworn that they were lining up for
precious game tickets. There were approximately
nine people ahead of Eric Salamat and team chaplain Fr. Nemesio Que, SJ and it seemed to take
forever for them to be granted entrance. Salamat
remained calm and when asked by a well-wisher
if the Blue Eagles were ready for the big game, he
nodded and succinctly said, “We’re focused.”
Norman Black stood outside his team’s dugout answering a few questions from sports scribes
hoping to get the skinny on Ateneo’s game plan,
their readiness, and the heralded rookies. He politely refused any interviews with his players and
said he wanted his wards to be focused on the
game at hand.
Focus. In the meantime, the four rookies—
Getting
the
“
ateneo d. la salle, 79–73
BY RICK OLIVARES
all, the top class of
collegiate basketball
for the better of two
decades now. The
Ateneo Blue Eagles,
once atop that rare
air for champions
are now local basketball’s equivalent
of the New York Yankees. They get the blue chip
recruits but win the championship is once every
decade.
There’s the rub, but you know that the boys in
blue aim to give it that old college try.
And how.
Since 2001, the Ateneo Blue Eagles have reversed more than a decade of losing and mediocrity. If the Archers had their number previously, the
Eagles, since the new millennium, have posted a
winning record against their arch-rivals. If Ateneo
once fell to the dreaded press, they were now taking it to La Salle. Buoyed by the 2002 title, they
have been spurred by confidence and shattered
any myths of their foe’s alleged invincibility.
The two weeks between the Nike Summer
League title and the first game of the UAAP season saw a marked improvement in team chemistry. As it has been postulated elsewhere, if they
won a tournament without firing up all cylinders
then how much more when chemistry becomes
more than a subject in school?
The south gate of the Araneta Coliseum is the
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athletics
Now you have to deal with it.”
Why not? Championships are nice but there’s
this analogy about how making it in New York
means that you can make it anywhere. Vince Burke,
old blue eyes himself, agreed and said, “They say if
you can handle the pressure of a game against La
Salle, that means you can handle anybody.”
Cut to the game. Only the referees pretty much
dictated the action by whistling for fouls like they
were going out of style. A totals of 64 fouls were
eventually called (including three technicals) for
a collective 16 fouls by both teams per quarter.
It’s actually a wonder that Jobe Nkemakolam was
the lone casualty due to five fouls. It’s an even
bigger absurdity when you think that Ateneo was
awarded two free throws even before the jump
ball because the La Salle coaching staff failed to
wear their proper IDs. And of comedic proportions when in an unfortunate episode that evened
things out, Coach Black was whistled for a technical for alleged vociferous complaining between
the end of the third quarter and the start of the
fourth quarter. The truth is, he was calling out
rather animatedly to Buenafe for not being in the
right place to deny an inbounds pass.
Incidentally, all three referees who worked
the much-ballyhooed return bout have all been
suspended for a game for failing to control the
match. That’s actually funny because they did
W
Ryan Buenafe, Nico Salva, Justin Chua, and
Vince Burke—were each battling nervousness
and anxiety in their own way inside the locker
room. They’ve played the Green Archers twice
already—in the aforementioned Nike Summer
League and the Fil Oil Pre-Season Tournament.
Though every bit as hard fought, nothing could
have prepared them for more than 20,000 people
screaming their heads off to the beat of a battalion
of bass drums. “I’ve got butterflies in my stomach,” confessed Burke, gulping.
“I feel the same,” agreed Salva who also professed to being excited. “You watch it on television
but it’s different when you actually experience it.
L
”
Photos
by Nono
Felipe
of the
Ateneo
Sports
Shooters.
For more
Ateneo sports
photos, log on to
<www.fabilioh.com>,
home of the Ateneo
Sports Shooters.
control it with their whistles too much. “Let the
boys play,” yelled a special courtside spectator in
blue to deaf ears.
There were four huge ovations that day. The
first one was for Manny Pacquiao who slipped in
and admitted to rooting for Ateneo. The second
was for visiting NBA star Gilbert Arenas who also
paid a visit to both teams’ locker rooms prior to
their taking the court. And the third was during
the introduction of Blue Eagle captain Chris Tiu.
Tiu has been the focal point of the team’s offense since last campaign and the budding celebrity heartthrob has delivered mightily in the clutch.
Not since LA Tenorio was in his dress blues has
the Hail Mary Squad had a player who could
knock down buzzer-beating game winners.
He started out the game with two free throws
and ended them with the same. He scored a game
high 26 points in addition to hauling down 7 rebounds and dishing off 2 assists. With Ateneo’s
big men in foul trouble, he held the Archers at
bay by going 17-19 at the stripe and hitting three
field goals.
And come crunch time with the game deadlocked between the two teams, he turned it
over to Salamat, Buenafe, and center Rabeh AlHusseini for some huge contributions on offense.
On defense, Nonoy Baclao and Yuri Escueta put
the clamps on La Salle’s frontline and backcourt
respectively. The game featured 15 deadlocked
and 12 lead changes. It had all the elements of an
Ateneo-La Salle game.
Oh, that fourth ovation? It was for Ateneo’s
79-73 win. Yes, they got that first win of the
season. LSB